Shah Jehan travelled from the fort to the tomb by boat. Court histories
describe his arrival on the river side of the monument and his ascent to
its terrace by way of the embankment. This approach, however, was
reserved for the emperor and members of his party. Others passed through
a large courtyard, a jilokhana to enter the main gateway on the south.
This courtyard was a place where travellers halted. Here, also, the poor
were provided with food and shelter, and on the anniversary day vast
sums were distributed in charity from the funds with which the Taj was
endowed.

PurposeIn
this courtyard stand the main gateway to the Taj and its gardens, a
massive portal that opens to the south. Detached gateways were long a
traditional feature of Muslim architecture and could be found fronting
tombs and mosques throughout the East. Symbolically to the Muslim, such
an entrance way was the gate to paradise. Metaphysically, it represented
the transition point between the outer world of the senses and the inner
world of the spirit.

Structure
Made of red sandstone, this 150 ft. wide and nearly 100 ft. high,
gateway consists of a lofty central arch with double storeyed wings on
either side. Octagonal towers are attached to its corners which are
surmounted by broad impressive open domed kiosks. The most important
feature of the gateway however is the introduction of a series of eleven
attached chhatris (umbrellas) with marble cupolas, flanked by pinnacles,
above the central portal on the north and south sides. A heavy door at
the base is made from eight different metals and studded with knobs.
Inside are countless rooms with hallways that wind and divide in such
apparent abandon that they seem intentionally built to confuse; perhaps
they were, for they have remained unused for three centuries and their
purpose has long confounded the experts. Within the archway of this
majestic entrance, there is a large chamber with a vaulted roof.

Decoration
The gateway is richly embellished. Of particular note are the floral
arabesques fashioned from gemstones and inlaid in while marble which
decorate the spandrels of the arches. Also impressive are the inlaid
black marble inscriptions that frame the central vaulted portal or iwan.
These passages are excerpts from the Koran, which is considered by
Muslims to be the word of God as revealed to Mohammed. It is here that
Shah Jehan's calligraphers have performed an amazing optical trick : the
size of the lettering that runs up and over the arch appears to be
consistent from top to bottom. This illusion was created by gradually
heightening the size of the letters as their distance from the eye
increased; from the ground the dimensions seem the same at every point.
This ingenious trompe l'oeil effect is used with equal success on the
main doorway of the Taj itself. It is said that upon first beholding the
Taj through this gateway it will look small and far away, as if built in
three-quarter scale. This is another optical trick. As one approaches,
the illusion turns into another illusion: the building begins to grow,
and continues to grow until, when the base is reached, it looms
colossal. The dome especially seems to expand as one comes near, almost
as if it were being slowly inflated.